Agency finds landfill’s wells violate EPA standards

Odors coming from Stony Hollow Landfill stem from work being done to address the violations.

Work at a Dayton landfill that led to odors permeating to nearby communities is linked to an effort to comply with federal guidelines the site has been violating for more than a year, EPA and landfill officials said Wednesday.

Stoney Hollow Landfill has been cited for “operating various wells in violation” of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines since May 2015, according to the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency.

Efforts to correct that issue “to some degree” are related to installing new wells, said Frank Dockery, site manager for Waste Management, owner of the landfill at 2460 S. Gettysburg Road.

The digging of trenches to install those 35 wells exposed large areas of degrading trash, leading to odors drifting into Jefferson Twp. and Moraine. Residents of those communities lodged dozens of complaints in recent weeks about the stench.

As temperatures inside the landfill at “various wells” increased, the Ohio EPA approved higher operating values (HOVs) for Stony Hollow, according to the June 2 violation notice from RAPCA Administrator Jennifer Marsee.

“However, on May 4, 2015, as temperatures continued to increase and gas levels began to deviate from required parameters, the Ohio EPA made the decision to not approve further issuance of HOVs and revoked HOVs previously issued” to Stony Hollow in affected areas, according to the RAPCA letter.

“These temperatures have contributed to additional odors,” said Dina Pierce, Ohio EPA spokeswoman.

“To expand the gas collection system they have to put the gas wells in and excavate into the waste to lay the pipe,” she added. “And when you uncover decomposing waste, you hit odors. So that is causing some of the odors.”

Dockery said the project began in late March. Residents in Jefferson Twp. and Moraine began lodging complaints in late April, officials from those communities said.

Moraine has received more than 45 complaints since May 1, City Manager David Hicks said Tuesday. The city’s website directs residents to fill out odor complaint forms and urges them to contact RAPCA and the EPA.

Jefferson Twp. residents also made complaints, Trustee Mary Johnson said.

Until the complaints began, Jefferson Twp. and Moraine officials said they had no knowledge of the landfill’s work. That is unusual because there is commonly notification with a project of this magnitude, Hicks said.

Dockery said he failed to send out notifications, an issue that has since been addressed, officials said.

The project is expected to take another eight to 10 weeks, Dockery said. Until the work is complete, Stony Hollow has established a hotline regarding the odors. The telephone number is (937) 356-6203.

While Dockery said Stony Hollow will work to get the odor issue addressed this week, until the project is complete there may be periodic issues, said Kathy Trent, Waste Management’s government relations director.

“That’s our expectation,” she said. “But our goal is obviously to reduce the odors as soon as we can and to manage them so there is no off-site impact.”

Aside from installing more gas wells, Stony Hollow has taken several steps to lower the temperature within the landfill, according to RAPCA. They include:

-Adjusting vacuum at various well heads;

-Installing cooling loops as a trial method to cool affected areas;

-Injecting nitrogen as a trial in affected areas;

-Installing better leachate collection piping.

“Waste Management is addressing the odor issue in the manner we expect,” Pierce said. “There is nothing additional we would ask them to do at this time and we will continue to monitor the situation there and if it changes, continue working with facility to ensure that they address whatever issues arise.”

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